PESTS OF ASPARAGUS

Although there are only about 1000 acres of commercial production in North Carolina, asparagus
is grown in home gardens. One of the most expensive vegetables, asparagus is a gourmet item.
Asparagus has relatively few pests. Asparagus aphids, asparagus beetles, caterpillars, and slugs
damage plants.

Asparagus beetle - These hard-bodied chewing insects are about 6 to 9.5 mm
long and are smooth, shiny and slightly elongated. The antennae are less than half the length of the
body. The tarsi appear four-segmented. They feed on meaty above-ground plant parts and leave
brown scars on buds

Asparagus beetle - This beetle has a metallic blue head. The thorax is
red with two blue spots. Each bluish-black wing cover has three yellowish square spots (Fig. 31)

Spotted asparagus beetle - This pest is red-orange or tan with six
black spots on each wing cover (Fig. 32)

Asparagus beetle larvae - These larvae are soft-bodied, plump, humpbacked,
wrinkled, and sluggish. They grow to about 9 mm long and have three pairs of legs near the head
and fleshy prolegs on most abdominal segments. They secrete a black fluid which stains the
plant

Asparagus beetle grub - The body is dark gray and the head and
prolegs are black. They feed like adult beetles and scar the buds (Fig. 33)

Beet armyworm - These 30-mm-long caterpillars are soft-bodied, green to
black with three lightly colored stripes running the length of the body. There is a black spot on
each side of the body on the second segment behind the head. It has three pairs of legs and five
pairs of prolegs (Fig. 35). Beet armyworms damage buds, young leaves, and
tender tips causing the stalks to curl and become deformed

B. Insects that feed on roots or lower stems and usually are hidden in the soil

Beet armyworm - (See above for description.) Beet armyworms usually feed
on the foliage but occasionally they feed on roots or lower stems

Cutworms - Several kinds of fat, soft-bodied, basically gray, black, or brown
caterpillars (40 to 50 mm long when fully grown) feed on asparagus roots. Cutworms have three
pairs of legs and five pairs of prolegs (Fig. 36A to C). Cutworms occasionally
feed above ground on spears and ferns when young, but older larvae burrow in soil during the day
and sever plant stems at night. They curl up when disturbed

Asparagus miner - Small maggots mine in the stems close to the ground (Fig. 37) opening the plant up to disease-causing organisms